Operating room

Operating rooom is the term used to describe a kind of room or room found in sanatoriums, hospitals or other health care centres that is specially adapted to carry out surgical operations on people who require them. Similarly, in the operating room, various related activities can be carried out, for example: the administration of anesthesia, resuscitation procedures, etc. to later be able to successfully carry out the surgery. Previously this term was only applied to those rooms that were designed with a glass which allowed to observe the surgical interventions that were performed there, however with the passage of time the term was applied to any space where various surgeries are performed.

With respect to the minimum requirements and conditions that an operating room must have in order to satisfactorily fulfill its objective, among the most important parameters the following stand out: it must be a closed space; it must be located in a place independent from the rest of the medical center; however, it must always be adjacent to those sensitive areas, such as the case of emergency rooms, the blood bank, laboratories for clinical analysis, pharmacies, among others. On the other hand, regarding the circulation of people, this must be restricted, that is, it must only allow access to the patient in question, to the interdisciplinary team that is usually part of a surgery: among them are surgeons, radiologist, anesthesiologist, gastroenterologist, operating room nurse, nursing assistant, stretcher, instrument maker, among others.

General characteristics of the operating room

Due to the relevance of the work carried out in the operating rooms, it is very important that these spaces have a series of minimum care in terms of hygiene and safety is concerned, all with the aim of maintaining the health of patients who are operated on surgically. For this reason, those professionals who serve in a hospital or any health center must keep in mind a series of rules which must be followed so that everything is done correctly:

First of all, the operating theatre must have signs indicating that it is an operating theatre and that it is therefore forbidden for unauthorised personnel to pass through.
As for the walls, they must be smooth so that it is much easier to clean them.
The climate or environment that should exist within the operating rooms, in order to avoid bacteria, should range between 21 º and a relative humidity of 50%.

Biosafety

Aims and Objectives

• Protect the health and personal illness of health professionals and patients. Safe condition, appropriate barriers. Adopt "Universal Precautions.
• Ensure Disinfection and Biosecurity of both patients and health personnel.

Access Zones

• Black zone. It is the area of access, in it the conditions of operation and presentation of the patients are reviewed; all the related administrative work is done and the personnel (to change the dress for the special clothes of use of operating rooms).

• Grey zone. All personnel entering the gray zone must wear surgical pajamas. The head is covered with a cloth hat and hides all the hair to prevent hair loss in sterile areas; the nose and mouth are covered with a mask.

• White zone. The area of greatest restriction is the sterile area or white area in which the operating room itself is located.

Infection Control Guidelines

• Circulation. With sufficient amplitude and in the same direction, avoiding the passage of clean materials through dirty areas. The entrance of the operating room personnel is by dressing room, placing an ambo of exclusive use. The patient will be admitted on a special stretcher. The operating room doors will be kept closed during the surgery. At the end of the surgery, dirty clothing and contaminated waste must leave the operating room in bags according to the rules.

• Surgical attire. Headgear, masks, shoe covers, rubber gloves; washable or disposable. Do not wear jewelry. Short nails. All forms of surgical clothing serve a single purpose: they constitute a barrier between sources of contamination and the patient or staff. Aseptic standards should never give way to individual comfort or fashion trends.

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